182 THE RATTLESNAKE. 



a mattress. Alas, I was about to lie down to rest on the 

 uneven and hard cushions of the ambulance seats, with a 

 double blanket spread over them, my coverlet a blanket, 

 my pillow a gun-case ; and but for health and strength, 

 a frugal dinner, and plenty of exercise, I might have 

 passed a most uncomfortable night. 



Before lying down I served out to George a double rifle 

 and a revolver, telling him to keep the young retriever 

 Alice chained under his dog- waggon, in which vehicle he 

 himself slept ; when, hanging my loaded gun close at my 

 side on hooks made within my ambulance for that pur 

 pose, with a waterproof cover on to protect it from the 

 dew, and putting my revolver and long hunting knife in 

 the corner close to my head, I sought to sleep through 

 the first night on the plains. To me the situation was 

 lonely and beautiful, and the constant tinkle of Charlie's 

 bell invited rather than put to flight the visits of the 

 drowsy god, and, amidst the low but increasing mutter- 

 ings of thunder, and the very vivid and continuous flash 

 ings of lightning, I fell asleep, till a reverberating crash, of 

 what seemed to me to be triple thunder, directly over my 

 head, made me start, and then by torrents of rain I knew 

 we were in a sort of deluge. It did not last long, how 

 ever, and, as the storm decreased, the sound of my men's 

 voices died away with it, and I fell fast asleep, and slept 

 for a considerable time. 



' Things remained thus till past midnight, as far as I 

 could judge, when I was again aroused by the cries of my 

 men in confusion, laughter and oaths being strangely 

 mingled, and I listened for further information. The 

 cause of this " hullabaloo " was, that, while they were 

 lying on their blankets, one of them heard, or fancied he 

 heard, in their very midst, the rattle of the deadly snake, 



